Our Resuming In-Person Ministries Task Group will meet again this week to review our recommendations regarding in-person ministries. Since we first met, it has become clear that Phase 4 of the Safe Start plan, which we had originally been waiting for to resume in-person ministries, will not come for some time. As a result, I suspect we will be making plans to resume in-person ministries in Phase 3, with all the additional requirements that phase requires, both from the State, and from the Bishop’s Office. When we have those plans in place, we will inform the parish through all of our available communication channels. 

This week we also held an online forum with many of our “8 o’clockers,” getting input on their hopes for resuming in-person worship. It was incredibly helpful, and will definitely guide the work of both the task group and the staff as we develop our plans for re-opening. It was truly a joy to see so many of our folks at once, many of whom I hadn’t seen since March. I am eager to see you all again, even though at the beginning it will be through face masks.

For those who are anxious about returning to church for any reason at this time, we are making major improvements in our streaming capability for the liturgy, and we’re pleased to tell you that all of our liturgies will be available for streaming online once we resume live worship in our building. Last week, the Vestry decided on a plan for streaming our services, and we are now just waiting for the equipment to arrive at the church, so we can install and test it before in-person liturgies resume. You’ll be able to watch the services on our homepage, just as you have since the end of Lent, and the liturgy will actually be live (or, technically, on a two-minute delay, but you won’t really notice from home).

This has been a major challenge for each of us. Worshipping from home, doing fellowship remotely, figuring out how we will meet the challenges that face us in the coming months—none of it was on any of our radar in December, and now it’s all becoming second nature. So much has changed in the last months, and everyone at St. John’s | San Juan has risen to the challenge, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it, and for each of you. In the midst of an incredibly challenging time, our community has responded with grace and resiliency. I wouldn’t be prouder of our faith community, or more excited to see where the Holy Spirit is leading us, both in this season, and in the next.

Blessings,

R.C.+

...Not long after, I discovered a potted plant atop the Columbarium, left in memory of a loved one, no doubt. It reminded me of our common experience of loss, and how someday we'll all be someone else's loss. Given our finite time here, how is it that we don't pay more attention to the world around us, savoring it while we can? Yet I find myself rushing through the day, driven by tasks, oblivious to the beauty around me. Perhaps someone is trying to tell me something.

It turns out we don't always have to look up to make discoveries. Recently I did some power washing, cleaning off the sidewalk on 19th Avenue from Washington Street to Capitol Way. When the moss and dirt were washed away it revealed the words "Main Street" on the concrete that abuts Capitol Way. (Main Street was the original name of the street according to the City website. The concrete on 19th must be pretty old.) 

Later I found a mess outside far worse than any I'd encountered in the past--an unpleasant surprise. I grumbled as I cleaned it up, forgetting what I'd written last month in The Chronicle about not taking such things personally. After the work was done I reflected on what I'd said. Did I really mean it when I honored forgiveness and compassion, or was I just "talking the talk without walking the walk?" Ah, well, sometimes it takes a little jolt to remind me of my commitments. 

Still the surprises kept coming. As you know, there have been demonstrations downtown lately. One Saturday morning I was included in a group text about our sign having been tagged the night before. A discussion followed about what to do but no immediate plan was devised. Mysteriously, the sign was cleaned off by Saturday afternoon, the cleaner unknown--a double-barreled surprise! Since then a neatly stenciled BLM has appeared on the sidewalk along Capitol Way.

Surely I had used up my allotment of surprises for a while, I thought, but recently the begonia has been blooming in the Atrium (see photo above), and last night I discovered a glorious crop of Rose Campion showing their colors on the corner of 20th and Washington, reminding me that good things follow when I keep my eyes and heart open.  

Part I Building Permit Application Submitted

Last week KMB Architects completed a “permit set” of Part I Construction Documents for submittal to the City of Olympia as early as June 19. We expect the city’s plan review process to take between 4-6 weeks, perhaps longer, depending on any clarifications or changes they might request. Our January pre-submittal review with the city was clean, so we don’t expect any surprises. Still, you never know!

Hazardous Materials Abatement

KMB Architects has finalized the drawings for hazardous materials abatement work related to Part I. The next step will be to ask abatement contractors for price quotes based on these drawings.

In consultation with our owner representative, Clint Pehrson, we advised KMB in April to plan for only minimal abatement work in Part I, with no related repair work, such as to water-damaged walls, done until Part II. This means new structural elements, like steel angle plates, will be left exposed at the end of Phase I. One exception is to make the concrete floors flush where any footing or foundation work was done - we do not want to live with holes in the floor. This decision was driven by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing impact on the national economy, and consequently, our parish’s capacity to raise sufficient funds during the fall capital campaign for anything beyond the Part I scope.

Please contact me at lou.d.macmillan@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Respectfully submitted,
Lou MacMillan
Renovation Committee Chair

...I've addressed those changes we've all been forced to make in previous letters to you so I'll not revisit those needed adjustments. I would, however, like to point out the projects that your Vestry has undertaken to meet the needs caused by the pandemic. 

Fr. R.C. has been the driving force to assure worship services continue through the use of the latest technology. He has literally built a system from the ground up that addresses our virtual worship needs now with the ability to expand in the future. I know I, as well as the remainder of the Vestry, thank him for all his work on this and would ask you do the same. I hope you had a chance to read his notes on the additional technologies St. John's | San Juan will be using to further enhance our virtual worship opportunities in the June 21, 2020 edition of  "The Messenger." He provides a detailed description of the projects. If you missed it, click here to read it. It's very exciting to think about the possibilities these additions will bring to help keep our church family connected!

Fr. R.C. has gone to a tremendous amount of work to research the technology that is required to provide these virtual opportunities. He provided the Vestry with the necessary information and options that helped us make an informed decision when making an investment of this sort. Thanks Fr.! 

As usual Treasurer Bob LeRoy provided the latest reports on our financial situation. To review the current accounting of funds, please click here to review his report.

Your Vestry decided to call members of our church family again to see how they are doing during the pandemic. If you didn't receive a call at the beginning of the health crisis, please let the church office know or you can contact me at linmark_ku@hotmail.com. It may be that we have an incorrect number, your name may have not been added to the directory or another reason. We'll see that your name and contact information is corrected or added.

Please remember you can still celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or any other special event on Sunday's by letting Fr. R.C. know. You can contact him by email with either a written or a video celebration.

As we look forward to the day when we again can gather in person, I am reminded of the passing of Dame Vera Lynn, the British singer who made the song, "We'll Meet Again" famous during World War II and the song's lyrics. She sings of meeting again and not knowing where or when, but it being a sunny day when the meeting takes place. Dame Vera was 103. I look forward to that sunny day, as I know we all do!

In the attempt,

Mark Hampton

Sr. Warden

St. John’s Episcopal Church
Treasurer’s Report for The Chronicle
June 23, 2020

Finance Committee

The regular monthly meeting of the Finance Committee was held on June 11.  Joining me were members R.C., Gerry Apple, Mark Hampton, Ric Weatherman, Cynthia Knapp and Christian MacMillan. The Committee reviewed our current financial condition and offers two recommendations detailed below regarding acceptance of a loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the treatment of interest on the restricted gifts from the Estate of Elinor Vadman.

Our Current Financial Condition

Bank Balances as of 6/9/2020:

• Commencement PPP Loan = $20,364.33 (Before June Payroll)
• Commencement Operations = $56,131.21
• Commencement Designated = $0.00
• Commencement Memorial = $0.00
• Commencement Capital Campaign = $16,256.00
• Columbia Operations = $15,282.48
• Columbia Designated = $6,200.03
• Columbia Memorial = $7,718.79
• Columbia Capital Campaign = $13,247.13

The most recent Statements of Activity and Financial Position accompany have been posted to the parish website. Click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page. As of May 31, our year-to-date operating deficit was -$25,523.09, but with the application of the remaining PPP funds in June, we will be very close to being on target for the year-to-date. 

Following a significant increase in April, pledge payments were above budget again in May, reducing our year-to-date shortfall to budget to -$10,727.99 (9%).

A payment to bring us current on our Diocesan Assessment for 2020 was made last week.

SBA Loans 

We will exhaust the remaining PPP funds ($20,364.33) this month. In keeping with guidelines for the program, we have used the funds to pay salaries, benefits, and utilities.

We have been approved for a $150,000.00 loan from SBA through the EIDL program. The loan can run for a maximum of 30 years at 2.75% interest. Payments do not begin until 12 months after the loan is funded, and there are no prepayment penalties. The loan is not secured by real property, but the SBA does require a security interest in “tangible and intangible personal property (e.g. equipment, deposit accounts).  We’ve asked the Diocese to review and approve our acceptance of the loan and hope to have their guidance within a few days. With Diocesan approval, the Finance Committee recommends we accept the loan. The proceeds can be applied to a wide range of operating—but not capital—expenses and would provide us with a valuable reserve as we move through a continuing and likely protracted period of economic uncertainty.

With Diocesan approval, the Vestry approved acceptance of the $150,000.00 loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.

Estate of Elinor Vadman

To-date, $120,000 has been disbursed from the Estate of Elinor Vadman. These funds are restricted and directed to the Diocese for deposit into a new separate account in the names of Elinor and Warren Vadman included in our Master Account with the Diocese of Olympia Master Trust (DIF).  We are not entitled to the principal in the account, but we do have discretion over the use of the interest. It can be withdrawn periodically or reinvested. After reviewing the matter, the Finance Committee recommends reinvesting the interest until such time as we may need it for approved expenses.

The Vestry approved reinvestment of the interest from the Elinor and Warren Vadman Account with the Diocese of Olympia Master Trust until such time as we may need it for approved expenses.

Capital Campaign

We have received the draft of a contract from Jerry Campbell, our consultant. The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF), for whom Jerry formerly worked, no longer offers consultative services for congregational campaigns.  We would be hiring Jerry as an independent contractor. Since Jerry doesn’t have the overhead of ECF, the fee for his services is reduced considerably.  Jerry believes we can also save by using a local vendor (rather than ECF’s preferred source) for design, printing, and mailing of our campaign collateral material. He estimates that the total cost for the solicitation phase of the campaign, including his fees and expenses and those of the vendor would be in the range of $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 (Note: Our original estimate for “campaign support” through ECF was $44,950).

The Vestry approved contracting with Jerry Campbell to provide consultant services for the solicitation phase of the upcoming Capital Campaign.

As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information regarding our budget or financial condition, please contact Cynthia at cynthia@stjohnsoly.org or me at bobleroy05@gmail.com.

Respectfully submitted…

…Bob Le Roy, Treasurer

...As I write this, Thurston County has been approved to move to Phase 2 in the Safe Start Washington plan, which is certainly welcome news. It is a blessing that new cases of COVID-19 have been low enough that we are able to move toward recovering some semblance of normal life again, however incremental. It also puts us a significant step closer to resuming in-person ministries here at St. John’s; as I’m sure you all know, each phase must be at least 21 days (three weeks) long while also achieving specific milestones with testing and hospital capacity, so while this doesn’t guarantee a date when we might be able to resume meeting in person, it does get us closer to knowing the earliest that might happen. As of this writing, the earliest we could expect to begin Phase 3 is June 17, with Phase 4 beginning around July 8. 

For us at St. John’s, Phase 2 is indistinguishable from Phase 1. The building remains closed, and all worship continues online. Phase 3 is the earliest that we have choices to make in how we will go about resuming in-person ministries I’ve asked a working group consisting of staff, medical professionals, and lay leaders from around the parish to evaluate the guidelines from the Bishop’s Office and propose a plan for our process of resuming in-person ministries, and they began their work last week. That group consists of:

• The Rev. Michael Beatòn Oakley (clergy)
• Gerry Apple (Vestry)
• Catherine Atwell (nurse)
• Usrah Claar-Peck (Parish Nurse)
• Andrea Castro (Hospitality at 6 PM Service)
• Evie Fagergren (Communications Coordinator)
• Columba Fernandez (State Department of Health & Liturgical leader, 6 PM Service)
• James French (Director of Music)
• Dan Kapsner (Sexton)
• Fawn Hacker (Vestry)
• The Rev. R.C. Laird (clergy)

It’s a large group, but the task before them is equally large: sorting out when and how we will resume in-person ministries, in order to keep everyone here safe.

We’ve met once already, and will be meeting again on Wednesday evening (May 27). As was said above, Phase 2 is identical to Phase 1 for our purposes. The question before us is what our worship and formation life will look like in Phases 3 & 4, and how we will adapt our customs and practices to ensure the safety of everyone who attends worship. 

I will say that we will continue to stream our liturgy for the foreseeable future. Even once we are in Phase 4, there will be those who, for any number of reasons, choose not to attend worship in person, and we will continue to make the liturgy available online so no one will have to miss worship. We will send out updates as the committee continues its work (through The Messenger).

If you’re like me, you’d prefer that we just skip to the end and have the plan already; after being home these last two months, I’m certainly eager for us to “be there” already. The health of our congregation, both physical and spiritual, requires that we take a slower and more methodical approach. I am grateful for the hours that each of the members of the working group are spending to find the best solutions for our congregation, and I am equally grateful for the patience of everyone else while this group completes its work. This is work worth doing well; our community deserves our best efforts.

I am looking forward to the day when my articles for The Chronicle don’t include phrases like “COVID-19” and “hospital capacity;” I’m quite sure I’m not alone in that! Until that time, I hope that you and your family continue to be safe and healthy, and I look forward to welcoming you back to worship and fellowship in our church space, hopefully sooner than later.

...Technology is the only challenge, first my grasp of the best way of creating this video and secondly, each choir member’s having the right computer and or phone as well as being able to print out the music, get a copy safely. The music is the easy part. Recording ones singing is a different challenge. I am confident we will figure it all out. Each singer has different computer/phone equipment, so the solution will be different for each, however we will overcome!

Many thanks to each soloist leading the hymns over the past weeks! You are brave souls.

Hopefully each anthem will become more confident! Not every week, but as often as practical in these times.

Blessings,

James French

...As noted before, the City of Olympia has now delayed adoption of the new building code until November 1st, so we have some cushion, but fully expect to apply in June as planned.

By the end of this month, KMB Architects will provide us with drawings, based on the February hazmat survey findings, that identify the types, locations, and quantities of hazardous materials that will require abatement prior to Part I work. We can share these plans with abatement contractors to obtain price quotes, and if we choose, proceed with this work by contracting directly with the preferred contractor. The advantage to contracting directly is we would avoid the typical ten percent price markup for completing the abatement work under the Part I construction contract with FORMA. No city building permit is required, only a special permit issued by the state Department of Ecology, which the abatement contractor will obtain. This work can be performed whenever it can be scheduled; it is not weather dependent.

Please contact me at lou.d.macmillan@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Respectfully submitted,

Lou MacMillan

Renovation Committee Chair

St. John’s Episcopal Church
Treasurer’s Report for The Chronicle
May 24, 2020

Finance Committee

The regular monthly meeting of the Finance Committee was held on May 14.  Joining me were members R.C., Gerry Apple, Sarah Clifthorne, Mark Hampton, Ric Weatherman, and Christian MacMillan. The Committee reviewed our current financial condition and affirmed the decision to transfer our banking relationship from Columbia Bank to Commencement Bank as soon as is practicable.

Our Current Financial Condition

Bank Balances as of 5/12/2020:

• Commencement PPP Loan = $34,271.21
• Commencement Operations = $19,159.32
• Commencement Memorial = $20,000
• Columbia Operations = $23,154.50
• Columbia Designated = $6,200.28
• Columbia Memorial = $7,718.72
• Columbia Capital Campaign = $13,247.02

Statements of Activity and Financial Position as well as our Revenue & Expenditure (Budget) Report as of April 30 have been posted to the parish website. Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view the financial reports.  As of April 30, our year-to-date operating deficit was -$86,083.66, but with receipt in May of $60,000.00 from our DIF Account, $54,577.00 in Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) funds, and $5,000.00 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds, we have—for now—a positive variance to budget.. 

Pledge payments increased significantly in April to $26,892.19, up $11,603.66 from March, reducing our year to date shortfall to budget to -$12,612.58 (14%).

Our projected Diocesan Assessment for 2020 is $56,346.00. The January, February, and March 2020 payments have been made. A payment was not made in April, as our priority was retaining sufficient funds to meet our monthly payroll. Both the April and May payments will be made this month.

As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information regarding our budget or financial condition, please contact Cynthia at cynthia@stjohnsoly.org or me at bobleroy05@gmail.com.

Respectfully submitted…

…Bob Le Roy, Treasurer

...I had always heard I had Cherokee ancestors and a few years ago, my daughter-in-law who lives in Oklahoma, did the necessary leg work to prove my heritage. Although it is a very small amount of Cherokee blood that I have, I am very proud of my Native American roots.

After visiting the museum, we spent some time at a gallery that featured weaving, pottery, paintings, etc. all done by local Cherokee artists. I was drawn to the piece you see above, even though I had no idea what it meant. It is written using the Cherokee alphabet and means "Strength." It hangs over our front door. Little did I realize how meaningful that piece would become. 

As I walk out the door or notice it as I pass by, it causes me to stop and think about the strength it is requiring during this unprecedented time. Strength to DO this or NOT to do that, depending on the choice we are forced to make. It also reminds me to be thankful for the variety of blessings we all receive.

I know I speak for all St. John's Vestry members as I say "Thank You!" for all you do and continue to do to support St. John's! Thanks to you for your continued financial support! Thanks to Fr. R.C. for his tireless efforts to ensure our opportunities to worship or gather socially are made available via technology! Thanks to Fr. Michael for his work to provide virtual worship opportunities for our Hispanic family members and the other duties he is performing! Thanks to Jim for all the music he continues to direct or perform! Thank You to Deacon Terry for those weekly Gospel readings! 

Thanks to all those involved in the production of those worship services! Be you in front of or behind the cameras, Thanks! Thanks, Evie, for making sure our communication vehicles (The Messenger and The Chronicle) are still being regularly produced! Knowing what is going on is so vitally important right now! Thanks to Dan for his constant efforts in maintaining our building and preparing for the time we can get back together! Thanks to all those who are involved in determining how we can once again gather physically! 

Please know that if I missed anyone's specific contributions to St. John's, it is not intentional and accept my apologies and a big "Thank You!

I close by wishing you continued strength, safety and health.

In the attempt,

Mark Hampton

Sr. Warden